Courage Tiger's Road Trip Day 35: Courage in Iowa

I finally made it to Iowa! I went to our member hospital, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Robin, an amazing Child Life Specialist at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She is such a fantastic Beads of Courage supporter and I am so glad I had the opportunity to talk with her!

Robin told me how wonderful Beads of Courage is for the patients at her hospital. She told me about how she had the chance to talk with a parent who told her that “the bead program was the single most tool that helped her cope with her child’s hospitalization." Robin said that the mom didn’t realize it until she saw how many beads her child had collected. She told me that Beads of Courage "made her realize how much her baby had been through.” 

Robin also told me that “having the opportunity to introduce Beads of Courage to my patients and families provides me with an opportunity to introduce services and offer a meaningful, very visual means of assisting families in documenting their baby’s journey. The arts-in-medicine is a very complimentary program to child life as a positive psycho-social supportive care intervention."

Robin is definitely a Child Life Specialist that Makes Courage Roar! To insure that Child Life Specialists like Robin have beads to help their patients, be sure to fund the mission and participate in the 9th Annual Bead Challenge!

Courage Tiger’s 2017 Road Trip is a feature of the 9th Annual Bead Challenge, a three-month nationwide fundraiser and beadraiser for Beads of Courage. As the official Beads of Courage mascot, Courage Tiger is visiting all 50 states to highlight the incredible work our organization does by sharing stories of our courageous members, families, clinicians, and the caring community of artists and supporters who make our vital work possible. Please get involved in Bead Challenge 2017 by visiting www.beadchallenge.org today. Sign up to PARTICIPATE as a fundraiser, CREATE glass beads, or DONATE to the cause. With your help, we can Make Courage Roar for kids coping with serious illness! Many thanks to Bead Challenge 2017 presenting sponsor Northwestern Mutual and supporting sponsor Soda Lime Times.

- Contributed by Cristal Rogers, Marketing and Communications Intern, Beads of Courage